At the beginning of the year I saw the Daily Post had a challenge or a personal challenge for anyone who wanted to post every day.

I had, for the last two months of 2011 posted every day, so I thought, how hard can it be. I decided to put the image on my blog and vowed to do a post a day. I am happy to say that I did this. I didn’t miss one day. It wasn’t always easy and some days I thought, nah, won’t worry about it, but couldn’t let it go and I always found something to blog about.

Posting every day has been a very rewarding experience for me. I found that having that pressure to do a post a day meant I had to go out and find things to photograph. I had find ways to keep the blog interesting, not just for…

Like this:

Whatever it is, if it doesn’t make you happy, walk away, give it away to someone else who wants it. Let it be their next dream; let it flee from you. Then you have room to grow, to allow magnificent things to fill the vacuum of those seemingly empty places. When you hold onto yesterday, when you hold onto dead and dying adventures, you have no room in your box for greatness. ~ Unknown

The whole world could love you, but if you do not love yourself, you would not even notice. The opposite is also true – the whole world could disapprove of you, but if you love yourself, you would not even notice. Accept yourself within you and the entire world becomes totally acceptable. ~ Bartholomew

Each person has inside a basic decency and goodness. If he listens to it and acts on it, he is giving a great deal of what it is the world needs most. It is not complicated but it takes courage. It takes courage for a person to listen to his own goodness and act on it. ~ Pablo Casals

It’s all part of the adventure; when you allow the positives and the negatives to simply be part of the adventure of living…nothing is a big deal.

Pass it on:

Like this:

Tomorrow, January 1st, we get the opportunity to write a new book.
All 365 pages are blank…
Let’s write a good one!
Let our choices be healthy ones…
May our days be cherished as if there will be no tomorrow…
and may we be Happy, Healthy and In Love!!!
Have a great year, unless you have other plans! pdd

Outside of my front door in Palm Desert I have two pets… My palm trees, and I have taken photos of them thru the year… a different perspective on the year 2012! I call them the twins! I think they are very photogenic!!!

How to Have a Happy New Year

Many New Year customs that we take for granted actually date from ancient times. This year, ring out the old and ring in the new with a New Year tradition—or two!

Make Some Noise

In ancient Thailand, guns were fired to frighten off demons.

In China, firecrackers routed the forces of darkness.

In the early American colonies, the sounds of pistol shots rang through the air.

Today, Italians let their church bells peal, the Swiss beat drums, and the North Americans sound sirens and party horns to bid the old year farewell.

Eat Lucky Food

Many New Year’s traditions surround food. Here are a few:

In the southern US, black-eyed peas and pork foretell good fortune.

Eating any ring-shaped treat (such as a donut) symbolize “coming full circle” and leads to good fortune. In Dutch homes, fritters called olie bollen are served.

The Irish enjoy pastries called bannocks.

The tradition of eating 12 grapes at midnight comes from Spain.

In India and Pakistan, rice promises prosperity.

Apples dipped in honey are a Rosh Hashanah tradition.

In Swiss homes, dollops of whipped cream, symbolizing the richness of the year to come, are dropped on the floors (and allowed to remain there!)

Drink a Beverage

Although the pop of a champagne cork signals the arrival of the New Year around the world, some countries have their own traditions.

Wassail, the Gaelic term for “good health” is served in some parts of England.

Spiced “hot pot” is the Scottish version of Wassail. It’s customary to drink a glass or two at home before sharing with neighbors.

In Holland, toasts are made with hot, spiced wine.

Give a Gift

New Year’s Day was once the time to swap presents.

Gifts of gilded nuts or coins marked the start of the new year in Rome.

Eggs, the symbol of fertility, were exchanged by the Persians.

Early Egyptians traded earthenware flasks.

In Scotland, coal, shortbread and silverware are exchanged for good luck.

Put Your Best Foot Forward

In Scotland, the custom of first-footing is an important part of the celebration of Hogmanay, or New Year’s Eve Day.

This practice holds that the first foot to cross a threshold after midnight will predict the next year’s fortune. Although the tradition varies, those deemed especially fortunate as “first footers” are new brides, new mothers, those who are tall and dark (and handsome?) or anyone born on January 1.

Turn Over a New Leaf

The dawn of a new year is an opportune time to take stock of your life.

Jews who observe Rosh Hashanah make time for personal introspection and prayer, as well as visiting graves.

Christian churches hold “watch-night” services, a custom that began in 1770 at Old St. Georges Methodist Church in Philadelphia.

The practice of making New Year’s resolutions, said to have begun with the Babylonians as early as 2600 B.C., is another way to reflect on the past and plan ahead.

New Year’s Folklore

Some customs and beliefs are simply passed down through the ages. Here are some of our favorite age-old sayings and proverbs.

On New Year’s Eve, kiss the person you hope to keep kissing.

If New Year’s Eve night wind blow south, It betokeneth warmth and growth.

For abundance in the new year, fill your pockets and cupboards today.

If the old year goes out like a lion, the new year will come in like a lamb.

Begin the new year square with every man. (i.e., pay your debts!) –Robert B. Thomas, founder of The Old Farmer’s Almanac